Important it ain't

Somehow along the way I signed up for "Breaking News Alerts" from the New York Times on my smartphone.

For the first year or so, it actually seemed to be valid; the alerts were quite rare, and were things like

• Major Earthquake in Pacific, Tsunami Warning Issued

Somewhere along the line, however, the New York Times decided, I guess, that they weren't sending out enough alerts, and recently they appear to have lowered their standards significantly, so that now my Breaking News Alerts tend to be things like:

• Senator Kerry Confirmed as Secretary of State

OK, that's important news, but really doesn't seem worthy of interrupting me.

And, then, today:

• Dow Jones Average Opens Above All-Time High

Grumble.

The New York Times is a bit too infatuated with their own self-importance. Stop annoying me with your breathless urgency, or I'm uninstalling you. And I Mean It, Stanley!